This article first appeared in the St. Louis Beacon: October 6, 2008 - The St. Louis Police Board broke from tradition on many fronts in selecting Major Daniel Isom as the city's 33rd police chief.
- Isom is perhaps the youngest, or certainly one of the youngest, chiefs ever, at just 41 (but he does have 20 years on the force).
- He's perhaps the most educated chief in the department's history, with a doctorate (in criminology, from the University of Missouri-St. Louis), and two masters degrees (in criminal justice from UMSL and public administration from St. Louis University).
- His selection marks just the second time in at least three decades that the Police Board dipped below the rank of lieutenant colonel in choosing a chief. (John Berner, chief from 1982-85 was the first.)
Isom replaces Joe Mokwa, who was forced to resign in July after the board believed he had not been truthful about his knowledge of his daughter's use of impounded cars from a towing company that did business with the police department. The practices of the towing company and its link to the police department are now the subject of a federal investigation with the very real possibility of indictments forthcoming.
Although Isom had served on Mokwa's staff in the chief's office for the past year and a half and was very well regarded by Mokwa, Isom is not seen as a Mokwa insider, several sources said. In fact, some have called Isom's selection an "anti-Mokwa" vote by the board, which passed over three higher ranking officers.
Within the department, Isom has been regarded as bright, low key and quiet. He has always avoided the spotlight.
Sources said Mayor Francis Slay was a key promoter of Isom, an African American, and that Slay hopes to mend fences with the city's African-American community, which has been angry with him over his role in the ouster of Sherman George, the city's first black fire chief. Isom is the third African-American police chief in St. Louis. The first was Clarence Harmon; he was followed by Ron Henderson, who preceded Mokwa.
Isom didn't waste time in posting a blog on Monday. "Today, I landed my dream job -- Chief of Police," he wrote. "I always knew I wanted to dedicate my life to making my city better ... doing work that was more fulfilling than I ever imagined it could be." Check out the new chief's blog.
Isom said of his philosophy of policing: "Mine is simple -- push resources to the neighborhoods so officers can rapidly respond to crime." He promised to visit neighborhood organizations in the near future.
Isom concluded his first blog as chief by saying, "I promise I will make you proud."
For the first time in department history, the police board required a new chief to sign an contract. Previously, a police board could remove a chief only "for cause."
Isom signed a three-year contract, at $127,000 per year. The contract includes two additional, one-year options at the discretion of the board.
Chris Goodson, president of the Police Board, said of Isom in a statement: His "experience in the field of law enforcement and his life-long dedication to this department (have) prepared him for the position of chief. The board believes that in this new role, Col. Isom will continue to provide the level of leadership that the St. Louis residents have come to expect.
"The board has complete confidence and trust in him and he has the support of the entire board."
Isom's numerous positions within the departments have been in internal affairs, the Police Academy, the juvenile division, mobile reserve, the South Patrol detective bureau and the fourth, sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth police districts.
In addition to his three post-graduate degrees, Isom is a graduate of the FBI National Academy and the Police Executive Forum Senior Management Institute. He is a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity and the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE).
A life-long city resident, Isom grew up in the Penrose neighborhood and attended St. Louis University High School before getting his bachelor's degree in criminal justice from UMSL. He and his wife Virginia, who is the sister-in-law of former St. Louis Police Chief Ron Henderson, have two children, Alexandria and Daniel.
Bill Bryan, a freelance writer in St. Louis, covered the St. Louis police beat for more than 30 years with the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and, earlier, with the St. Louis Globe-Democrat.